Bottle closure



M. FEBBRARO BOTTLE CLOSURE April 8, 1947.

Filed Jan. 1, 1944' ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CLOSURE Mario Febbraro, Union City, N. J.

Application January 1, 1944, Serial No. 516,643

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the entrapment and removal of sediment settling out from aging and aged spirituous liquors and sparkling wines, etc., and more particularly tothe provi-sion of a simple little device for accomplishing this result.

In preparing sparkling beverages, aging is required, ibut in the aging process sediment forms. rTherefore, it has been the ancient practice to place the bottle in a horizontal position, turn it frequently while lying in this position, and gradually elevate the Ibottle Wirth occasional turnings, until the bottle reached the vertical inverted position", so that the sediment may accumulate upon the inner face of the usual stopper or cork. This is not only a very slo-w procedure but requires great skill and dexterity. Furthermore, after aging has been completed, great care must be exercised in removing the stopper from the bottle so that no or as little as possible of the accumulated sediment will fall back into the liquid contents when it is righted.

According to my invention, the bottle may be put ina vertical inverted position after a shorter period of aging, and the bottle righted after aging has run its-course, without danger ofthe sediment falling back into the liquor. This is accomplished by entrapping the sediment while the bottle is in an inclined or vertical position, inverted, Ibut in a wholly novel manner.`

My new expedient partakes of a stopper or `closure having a cylindrical body with la preferably relatively great number of restricted blind bores in communication with'the inside of the bottle. When the stopper is inserted into the bottle or the closure tightly applied and the lled bottle is inverted or placed in an inclined position with the stopper or closure assuming a lower position than the longitudinal axis of the bottle, the liquid contents, of course, enter the bores and ll them up. The accumulation of sediment in the ibores increases las aging proceeds and displaces the liquid therefrom. When the inverted bottle is righted, the sediment remains and adheres to the walls of the bores or is entrapped.

Specific embodiments of this concept are illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, showing one form which my invention may take as applied to a bottle.

Fig. 2 is Ia sectional View on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a modified form of my invention, shown as applied to a bottle.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of still another modiication.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of stopper having polygonal bores.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section ci any of the Stoppers shown, and showing the tapered ends of the walls surrounding the various bores.

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view of still another modification.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional View of still another modicatio-n.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the same shows the neck part I0 of a bottle in which the wine or liquor to be aged is contained. Inserted in the top of said bottle is a stopper I I, which may be of glass, ceramic or other suitable material. The said stopper consists of a knurled or polygonal head and a cylindrical body portion, the latter of which is provided with a plurality of preferably restricted blind bores I2 in open communication with the inside of the bottle. About the cylindrical body portion of said stopper is a sleeve I3, which may be of cork or other suitable material, and is lused to provide an air-tight closure.h

in the inodied arrangement illustrated in Fig. 3, the outer wall of the upper part of the bottle neck Ia is screwithreaded as at Ib. The cylindrical body portion of stopper I Ia may be of substantially the same diameter as the internal diameter of the neck of the bottle and an hermetic sea-l eiected Iby the use of a gasket I of cork, rubber or other suitable material, disposed between, the top of the bottle neck and the head I ib. Adapted to be brought into thread engagement with the threads Illb` of the bottle neck Illa, is a cap l5, which may be of ,metaL plastics or other suitable material. The cap I5 mayV be tightly turned down so as to effect a really effective hermetic seal between the head of the stopper and the top of the neck. Here, too, the cylindrical body portion of the stopper is provided, preferably, with a plurality of restricted blind or blinded bores'.

assembly consisting of a cylindrical disk I5' provided with bores I5a, and which is substantially of the same diameter as the internal diameter of the screw cap Ia in which it is disposed. Disk I5' is supported on top of the neck of the bottle and here, also, a gasket I is employed between the bottom of said disk and the top of the bottle neck to provide a hermetic seal when the cap is in full engagement with the threaded portion of the bottle neck. Y

The bores, instead of being round as shown in Fig. 2, may be square, hexagonal or other polygillustrate how the walls surrounding the boresr are tapered to avoid presenting to the liquid, and hence to the sediment, any at surfaces to impede the entrance of the sediment tothe bores.

In Fig. 7, there is shown a further modication Y i of the device. In this instance, the disk I5' may be positioned intermediate the ends of the outer shell of the screw cap |61), the upper portion of said shell being provided with screw threads I1 and receptive of a removable closure member i8 which may be securely 'screwed down onto a gasket Ida disposed on top of the disk l5', the member IB being provided with a polygonal depression 19 receptive of a similarly shaped implement (not shown), for securing or removing the member I8 in an obvious manner. The member I8 may be hollow as shown in Fig. 7, in which case, 4itmayserve, as atrap for the sediment, or it may be solid; but in either case it is removable so thatif desired, access maybe had to the top of-disk I5' to clean tne-boresif it be desired to re-use the stopper or screw cap Il.

` `In Fig. 8, there is shown a further modificationoithe device. In this instance, a conventional cork stopper 2!! maybe 4provided with a sediment trap comprised of a cylindrical tube 2l closed at one endand made of glass, plastics,A

waterproofed paper or any. other suitable material. The openend of tube 2| may be closed by a disk 22 which may equal the outer diameter of the tube 2l and which may be arranged in tlie `bore of stopper 20 to abut' the end of the tube. The disk 22 may-beef Vany suitable rigid material as of refractory material, ceramic or plastics or libre, etc., and is provided with a bore or aperture 23 relatively smaller than the inside diameter of the tubeA 2l `and lpreferably of the order of .075 inch, which bore communicates at its lower end with afrustoconical oriunnel-like opening 24, the wallsl of which constitute a continuation of the tapered end 25 of the stopper 20. It will be `apparent that when a container having a closure of the character described, is inverted, the sediment present or formed in the contained liquid, will gradually settle downward- Y ly upon the slopingside ofthe funnel-shaped passageway and alo-ng the sides through the aperture 23 andinto the tube 2l there to be retained. Whilel Vthe invention has' been described with respect to its use in connection with 4 aging liquors and other beverages, it is obvious that it may be used with equal advantage for entrapping sediment settling out of any sedimentcontaining liquid.

Having described my'invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination, a beverage bottle and a sediment entrapping member, said member comprising a stopper for the bottle and having a plurality of relatively restricted blind bores in communication with the inside of said bottle, the diameter of said bores being approximately .075 of an inch whereby when the bottle is inverted the bores receive and retain sediment settling out of beverage contained in said bottle, and a resilient sleeve lon said member forming an airtight seal between the member and the inside of the neck of the bottle.

2. The combination of a beverage container rand a sediment-entrapping member therein, said member havinga plurality ,of relatively restricted blind bores in communication withV the inside of the containenthe diameter of said bores being in the neighborhood 011.075 of an inch whereby when the container is disposed with the openings of the bores facing upwardly, the bores receive and retain sediment settling out of beverage contained .in said. container.

' 3. In combination, aV beverage bottle and a sedi-` ment-entrapping member, said member having a plurality of relatively restricted blind bores in communication with the inside of said bottle, the diameter of said bores being. in theneigliborhood of .075v of an inch,whreby. when the bottle is inverted, the bores receive and retain sediment settling Vout of beverage contained in said bottle, and a resilient element forming an air-tight seal between said member andV said bottle.

MARIO FEBBRARO.

REFERENCES CITED The4 following references are of record in the file of thisY patent:

UNITED" STATES PATENTS Number Name-l ,Y Date V1,459,230 Matrel June 19, 1923 1,892,884 Grauman et al. Jan. 3, 1933 `697,036 Stern Apr. 8, 1902 1,793,048 Brigel' Feb. 17, 1931 444,200 clark Jan. 6, 1891 1,426,241 Zini Aug. 15, 1922 1,865,023 Leavy June 28, 1932 1,796,478 Rose et al. Mar. 17, 1931 210,872 VNewton Dec. 17, 1878 2,139,961V Kleid Dec. 13, 1938 EoRErGN PATENTS l Number c Country Date 4,746 England. Jan. 19, 1901 81,559 Sweden July 26, 1934 17,216 AEngland Oct. 28, 1890 

